87

Hunter, Don't Shoot My Friend

Chapter 87: A Strange Murder

"Is this the place?" Stiles put on rubber gloves as he meticulously examined the area.

They had arrived at the crime scene after the body had been removed. They weren’t here to see a corpse, after all, but to investigate.

The site was a damp, dark alley near a bar that connected to the other end of the street. This spot would be perfect for committing murder without being seen—something the perpetrator took full advantage of.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Stiles looked at all the blood, and a nervous shiver ran down his spine. He didn’t want to be here, but his training told him he needed to familiarize himself with these cases to sharpen his instincts in daily life.

Ethan, who was observing the dark aura, blood blacker than mortal, and an intense stench of decay, said, "As humans, there are things we cannot see, but we can feel and sometimes even smell. To determine if it’s a supernatural being from another dimension, we conduct a factor investigation procedure."

There were many ways to investigate whether it was an evil spirit, demon, or a being summoned through a cursed physical object.

The first and most common method is burning a yellow leaf. This technique was passed down from shamans in South Korea to the rest of the world and was the simplest method.

Stiles took out the amulet, placed it on the ground, and then proceeded to light it.

Crack!

The yellow leaf began to emit crackling sounds. Soon, the dark green flame spread across all the blood, showing no signs of extinguishing.

"What does that mean?" Stiles asked, stepping back a bit more than usual.

"Trouble..." Ethan murmured as he extended his hand, and a layer of darkness covered the ground.

At that moment, a shadow appeared in the alley, forcing Ethan to reveal his power, and in a fraction of a second, the walls cracked.

Stiles stepped back in terror, but after seeing that everything had calmed down again, he asked, "What the hell was that?"

"A manifestation of darkness. This means that whoever killed these women is neither human nor a corporeal dark entity, but rather a demon not of this world," Ethan said, gaining a better understanding of the situation.

Dark entities had many variants. The Association of Light could overlook werewolves, vampires, and some other creatures because they, in a way, depend on the world to survive.

Unlike demons, extraterrestrials, and sea entities, who are here only to destroy the world. That’s more than enough for vampires, werewolves, and dark entities who control their instincts to join a beneficial alliance.

As long as they don’t attack good-hearted humans, commit unjustified massacres, or endanger the identity revelation law, the Association of Light would be willing to sign a non-aggression treaty to focus more on demons, cursed spirits, and curses.

It’s true that vampires don’t want humans as enemies, because if provoked, they could be nearly driven to extinction. But it’s better for humans to keep them alive if necessary.

Of course, until recently, Ethan killed every dark entity that crossed his path. The only reason he’s now slowly changing is due to a silly promise and the need to change his fighting style to win the war.

"Did you call the exorcists?" Stiles trembled slightly. It was one thing to face something that can hit you and another entirely different thing to fight something that comes from hell itself.

"Of course not; it wouldn’t be fun if we involved those idiots' faith." Ethan shook his head slightly. His thoughts on religion were to fight with everything he had without depending on God, who, in his understanding, was only an observer.

Are they His toys? Who knows, maybe this world was an aberration created just to amuse some people who were watching him right now.

Either way, Ethan didn’t want to hand over this job to the boring exorcists. He preferred to eliminate evil with lead, swords, and his physical strength.

"Let’s go find it; I’m sure I’ll pick up a trail," Ethan said, handing Stiles a long case that contained the weapon he would use.

"I don’t want to sound boring, but I have piano lessons tonight."

"Come on, Stiles, there’s no time."

"Damn it, I’m going to die young," Stiles thought as he followed Ethan, who was seemingly walking aimlessly.